Wimbledon 2014

Joined
Jun 23, 2014
Messages
20
I'm right. He lost a set in each of the first three rounds. Highly unusual for Nadal or any of the top players.
I think it's because his opponents all knew he is vulnerable on grass after his failures in 2012 and 2013, as well as his recent humiliation in Halle. They all came out with the intention of hitting him off the court, like Rosol did in 2012. It is hard to keep up the requisite level in a best-of-five match, though; the errors start to outnumber the winners if Nadal finds his rhythm and starts reading their game. There is also a small element of luck in the tighter matches. Rosol would have gone up 2-0 if not for a dead netcord going against him right at the end of the second set tiebreak. He was demoralised after that, I think, and all of the momentum went with Nadal. Kukushkin just ran out of steam after winning the first set. Same with Klizan. I don't think either of those two genuinely believed they could take three sets from him; the same mental block prevents Ferrer from giving him a real match at the French Open.

Kyrgios' main asset today was his serve. He kept the percentage high enough to shut Nadal out of almost all his service games. That was enough to win him two tiebreak sets, and then finally take advantage of one loose service game from Nadal. He probably would've lost the match if his first serve percentages had gone down by 10%.
 

Quiet Speed

Mentor
Joined
Dec 19, 2004
Messages
1,819
Location
Mississippi
Nick Kyrgios said he was in a bit of a zone. I hope so, because if he can play at that level on a routine basis he’s trouble for a while no matter what. We’ll just have to see how he does in the future. On this day he was spectacular.
 

Matra2

Master
Joined
Jul 6, 2011
Messages
2,337
I think it's because his opponents all knew he is vulnerable on grass after his failures in 2012 and 2013, as well as his recent humiliation in Halle. They all came out with the intention of hitting him off the court, like Rosol did in 2012. It is hard to keep up the requisite level in a best-of-five match, though; the errors start to outnumber the winners if Nadal finds his rhythm and starts reading their game. There is also a small element of luck in the tighter matches. Rosol would have gone up 2-0 if not for a dead netcord going against him right at the end of the second set tiebreak. He was demoralised after that, I think, and all of the momentum went with Nadal. Kukushkin just ran out of steam after winning the first set. Same with Klizan. I don't think either of those two genuinely believed they could take three sets from him; the same mental block prevents Ferrer from giving him a real match at the French Open.

Kyrgios' main asset today was his serve. He kept the percentage high enough to shut Nadal out of almost all his service games. That was enough to win him two tiebreak sets, and then finally take advantage of one loose service game from Nadal. He probably would've lost the match if his first serve percentages had gone down by 10%.

Excellent summary.
 

icsept

Master
Joined
Oct 12, 2008
Messages
3,729
Location
Oklahoma
Not surprised to see Nadal lose. Since 2010, Nadal has only one major win outside the French Open. Don't know if Roger has a shot to win, but he's in good form.
 

icsept

Master
Joined
Oct 12, 2008
Messages
3,729
Location
Oklahoma
That was quite the scene from Serena today. They are saying it is viral. I'm sensing a need to spend a few months out of the game...and away from, er, scrutiny from certain authorities so she can, er, "recharge":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HPC0o3lC_Y

Typical drama queen bull**** from Serena. If someone has a virus, they stay home in bed. They don't stumble around in front of a few thousand people and a national tv audience. ****ing ridiculous.
 

GiovaniMarcon

Mentor
Joined
Mar 2, 2008
Messages
1,231
Location
Westwood, California
I guess the Cliff's Notes version of Serena's preposterous display today might be summed up as, "I was going to lose, so I'll fake yet ANOTHER illness or injury, taint my opponent's moment in the sun, and make EVERYTHING about ME."

Par for her course, really.
 

foobar75

Master
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Messages
2,332
It was an extremely bizarre incident, and it looked to me like Serena was high on something. It could be 2010 all over again when she supposedly cut her foot on broken glass in a Munich restaurant (happens all the time to people, I'm sure), took an extended break and came back stronger than ever.

Problem is, she was 28 then but will be 33 soon. PEDs have a funny way of causing all sorts other ailments and maladies as the athlete gets older (just ask Woods), so the long awaited demise of Serena may finally be here after her latest meltdown.
 

Matra2

Master
Joined
Jul 6, 2011
Messages
2,337
Murray trailing two sets to none to Dimitrov. Everyone has been expecting Dimitrov to upset one of the big four at a slam for a while now. This could be the day.
 
Joined
Jun 23, 2014
Messages
20
Murray played very poorly, even worse than he did against Verdasco in the 2013 quarter-final. Dimitrov deserved to win, but Murray was a shadow of the player who won last year. Who would've expected him to perform better at Roland Garros than Wimbledon in 2014?

Disappointment from Cilic on No. 1 Court right now. He was up two sets to one against Djokovic, but he totally collapsed in the last two sets. Djokovic didn't have to do much to beat him after his level dropped. As expected, his low first serve percentage let him down in the end. He gave Djokovic too much to work with on the return. It'll be interesting to see if Dimitrov can pull off another upset in the semi-final.

Wawrinka is giving Federer a hard time at the moment. One set to love. Tiebreak in the second set.
 

foobar75

Master
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Messages
2,332
Murray played very poorly, even worse than he did against Verdasco in the 2013 quarter-final. Dimitrov deserved to win, but Murray was a shadow of the player who won last year. Who would've expected him to perform better at Roland Garros than Wimbledon in 2014?

Disappointment from Cilic on No. 1 Court right now. He was up two sets to one against Djokovic, but he totally collapsed in the last two sets. Djokovic didn't have to do much to beat him after his level dropped. As expected, his low first serve percentage let him down in the end. He gave Djokovic too much to work with on the return. It'll be interesting to see if Dimitrov can pull off another upset in the semi-final.

Wawrinka is giving Federer a hard time at the moment. One set to love. Tiebreak in the second set.

Federer is thru in 4 sets. With Nadal/Murray out, Djokovic being pushed and the way Federer has played so, this is shaping up to be a golden (and likely final) opportunity to win one more major. I'm rooting for him all the way.
 

BeyondFedUp

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 30, 2004
Messages
4,468
Location
United States
Federer is thru in 4 sets. With Nadal/Murray out, Djokovic being pushed and the way Federer has played so, this is shaping up to be a golden (and likely final) opportunity to win one more major. I'm rooting for him all the way.
I don't think it's going to be easy for either Fed or Joker. However, I believe their experience at majors will have them meet once again. I need to look up what they are head to head. Federer seems very confident and the crowds are definitely pulling for him. I'm really hoping he wins it all here.

Semis are first though. Don't count the chickens...
 

foobar75

Master
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Messages
2,332
Looks like Murray is returning to his old ways (cursing at his box) now that Lendl is no longer around. He needs Lendl back:

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jul/02/andy-murray-wimbledon-grigor-dimitrov

One of the more bizarre and curious things I've seen in the world of tennis recently was Murray's decision to hire that hideous looking she-male Amelie Mauresmo as his coach. Why did he and Lendl part ways after he finally broke thru and won two majors with him as coach? The only official story I heard is that it was a mutual decision.
 

Matra2

Master
Joined
Jul 6, 2011
Messages
2,337
One of the more bizarre and curious things I've seen in the world of tennis recently was Murray's decision to hire that hideous looking she-male Amelie Mauresmo as his coach. Why did he and Lendl part ways after he finally broke thru and won two majors with him as coach? The only official story I heard is that it was a mutual decision.

Lendl ended it. He felt he'd done his job. He's got a full life in the US (wife, 5 daughters, 3 of whom have golf careers) and didn't seem to like the travel.

OT Lendl has just put his house in Connecticut up for sale:

http://variety.com/2014/dirt/real-estalker/ivan-lendl-re-lists-rural-connecticut-estate-1201253189/

Got a spare $19,750,000?
 
Joined
Jun 23, 2014
Messages
20
If Dimitrov brings his a-game tomorrow, he will have his chances against Djokovic. He can beat him on clay (his worst surface), so he ought to have the game to beat him on grass (his favourite, and Djokovic's worst, surface). Raonic has only played Federer on grass once, in Halle, and it went to a third set tiebreak. That was in 2012, a few weeks before Federer won his seventh Wimbledon title, and Raonic is much better on grass now than he was then. Federer is the favourite, but Raonic can draw confidence from that experience going into this match.

After Murray's loss, the liberal paradise known as Twitter was unsurprisingly flooded with people trying to absolve Mauresmo of any responsibility for his failure, and accusing her critics of being "sexist". We all know that if he had won, these same people would be citing it as a great triumph for her as a coach. If he wins, it is proof that she is great; if he loses, she has nothing to do with it and must not be blamed. "They have only been working together for three weeks, so it's too soon to judge", is the current party line. That doesn't quite work, though, given that Murray said this is a short-term arrangement, the primary goal of which was to defend his Wimbledon title.

I wonder how many of these precious gits were happy to take the knives out against Jimmy Connors after his brief failure as Sharapova's coach, when he was sacked after one match. Was that also too soon? Then again, I doubt many of them even follow tennis outside of Wimbledon, so they probably had nothing to say about that relationship.
 

BeyondFedUp

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 30, 2004
Messages
4,468
Location
United States
I guess the Cliff's Notes version of Serena's preposterous display today might be summed up as, "I was going to lose, so I'll fake yet ANOTHER illness or injury, taint my opponent's moment in the sun, and make EVERYTHING about ME."

Par for her course, really.
Yep. I cannot help but think after watching that it was totally faking on her part. Acting, and bad acting at that. You don't bounce the ball over and over fumbling it if you are having trouble focusing or feeling sick. Then serving awful on purpose. Please, spare me. That was just over the top bad acting "let me out of this match so I can go home" garbage. The people that bought tickets should have gotten a refund. Where are the media whores on this? Oh wait, I know, she's an uncriticizable black athlete. Can you imagine if Sharapova had pulled this nonsense? But Williams gets a pass and it's swept under the rug.

She should be barred from the sport.

On another note I hope Bouchard wins it all and takes over the women's side of the sport permanently and Williams is lost into oblivion, not coming close to Graff's or even Everett's records.
 

Don Wassall

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
31,460
Location
Pennsylvania
Genie Bouchard becomes the first ever Canadian man or woman to reach a Grand Slam final. Another fun fact -- no American, male or female, reached at least the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the first time in over a century. The state of American tennis continues to be woeful and getting worse. Brutus Williams' loony antics yesterday were the highlight of U.S. tennis at this year's Wimbledon.

Watched Genie interviewed by Bill McAtee on the Tennis Channel; she is very composed. She has the mental makeup to go with her talent; I'll be surprised if she doesn't have staying power at or near the top of women's tennis.
 

BeyondFedUp

Hall of Famer
Joined
Oct 30, 2004
Messages
4,468
Location
United States
Genie Bouchard becomes the first ever Canadian man or woman to reach a Grand Slam final. Another fun fact -- no American, male or female, reached at least the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the first time in over a century. The state of American tennis continues to be woeful and getting worse. Brutus Williams' loony antics yesterday were the highlight of U.S. tennis at this year's Wimbledon.

Watched Genie interviewed by Bill McAtee on the Tennis Channel; she is very composed. She has the mental makeup to go with her talent; I'll be surprised if she doesn't have staying power at or near the top of women's tennis.

Let's hope so. I can't take
more limelight and hype in any positive sense toward Williams. Genie seems respectable and composed and not a macho lezbo or feminazi that the leftists would fawn over.
 

Don Wassall

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
31,460
Location
Pennsylvania
Genie has a natural femininity to go with her attractive face. Couldn't help noticing Kerber, who is also attractive, has huge muscular legs whereas Bouchard is also quite an athlete but is still sleek and girly looking to a significant degree.
 

Quiet Speed

Mentor
Joined
Dec 19, 2004
Messages
1,819
Location
Mississippi
You ever noticed that Milos Raonic looks like the first Darren on Bewitched? But seriously, he is going to need some magic to pull out a victory against Federer. He is two sets down and trying to get to a tiebreaker in the third at the moment.
 

Quiet Speed

Mentor
Joined
Dec 19, 2004
Messages
1,819
Location
Mississippi
Straight sets victory for Roger Federer. Earlier Novak Djokovic took out Grigor Dimitrov. I’m pretty pleased with a Federer – Djokovic final.
 

Don Wassall

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
31,460
Location
Pennsylvania
You ever noticed that Milos Raonic looks like the first Darren on Bewitched? But seriously, he is going to need some magic to pull out a victory against Federer. He is two sets down and trying to get to a tiebreaker in the third at the moment.

Ha ha, I hadn't thought of Darren, but was noticing how he looks like he stepped out of the mid-1960s, which was when Bewitched was on.

BTW, Bewitched was never the same after the original Darren left. Should have pulled the plug on it then, but the mid-'60s was far and away the heyday of great TV sitcoms.
 

foobar75

Master
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Messages
2,332
Straight sets victory for Roger Federer. Earlier Novak Djokovic took out Grigor Dimitrov. I’m pretty pleased with a Federer – Djokovic final.

Yes, a busy morning today as I was switching back and forth between Wimbledon and the World Cup. Although I will be rooting for Federer, I'll be just as happy with a Djokovic win. For Roger, it will truly cement his legacy as the GOAT (some questions have been raised in this regard, mainly due to his poor head-to-head record against Nadal).

For Djokovic, I believe he needs to get to double-digits in major wins to ensure his own place amongst the all-time greats. This will be #7, taking him one step closer.
 
Top